Kozhikode (Kerala): There were goals galore in the Super Cup 2023 tie on Monday when Jamshedpur FC registered a 5-3 victory against FC Goa in Group C at the EMS Corporation Stadium, here.
Trailing by an early goal, Jamshedpur returned with a vengeance to hold a vice-like grip over the proceedings thereafter and always held the upper hand despite spirited efforts by the Goa side.
The Group C contests witnessed a total of 14 goals on Monday as ATK Mohun Bagan routed Gokulam FC 5-1 in the day’s first match at the same venue.
FC Goa took the lead when goalkeeper TP Rehenesh lost the ball just outside the box in the sixth minute. Having received the opportunity, Iker Guarrotxena didn’t waste time to pass the ball to Noah Sadaoui, who was in an advantageous position and the winger skillfully hammered the ball in.
However, FC Goa’s celebrations didn’t last long. In the 11th minute, Rafael Crivellaro delivered an inch-perfect cross from the corner and Jamshedpur centre-back Pratik Chaudhari headed it in to level the scores at 1-1.
In the 27th minute, Ricky Lallawmawma was fouled right outside the rival box. Set-piece expert Crivellaro once again showed his class as he struck well into the top right corner to put his side ahead.
In the 39th minute, Devendra Murgaokar missed a golden opportunity to equalise for Carlos Pena’s men. The striker failed to score from close range following a delightful cross from Sadaoui.
Pronay Halder dealt them another blow to take the game further from FC Goa’s reach. The Indian midfielder got himself into a shooting position in the additional time of the first half and pulled the trigger. To his delight, his ill-directed shot went in after getting deflected by Syrian defender Mohamed Fares Arnaout.
After half-time, Jamshedpur continued to put pressure on the rivals. Brazilian sensation Crivellaro continued to be a source of constant trouble for FC Goa defence. Just before the hour mark, the 34-year-old made it 4-1 with a simple tap-in. The credit, however, goes to substitute Ritwik Das, who carried the ball from the left flank, dribbled past an opponent and found Crivellaro with a perfect pass.
The game saw another twist as FC Goa went on to score two back-to-back goals. In the 61st minute, Iker Guarrotxena headed the ball in following a lob by Brandon Fernandes. That also marked the Spaniard’s 12th goal of the season for FC Goa.
In the 70th minute, Goa’s Sadaoui found the back of the net with a comfortable header to make it 4-3. Skipper Brandon was once again the brain behind the goal as his cross from the right turned out to be a perfect one.
Finally, Jamshedpur’s substitute Harrison Sawyer capitalised on an error by Arshdeep Singh and dealt a blow to FC Goa’s hopes of getting an equaliser. The Australian forward pounced on an opportunity in the 81st minute and took advantage of an awkward bounce of the ball to beat the goalkeeper and make it 5-3 for Aidy Boothroyd’s men.
In the next round of fixtures, Jamshedpur FC will come up against Hero Indian Super League 2022-23 champions ATK Mohun Bagan, while FC Goa will clash with Gokulam Kerala on Friday, April 14.
(IANS)
